(WTNH)– There are new details about the apparent suicide of Bristol native Aaron Hernandez. The former New England Patriot’s star and convicted murderer was found dead Wednesday morning with a bed sheet tied around his neck

We’re learning that Aaron Hernandez did not write a suicide note exactly, but he did seem to write something on himself.

ABC news is reporting that when guards found Hernandez hanging from a bed sheet in his prison cell, he had “John 3:16” written on his forehead. That’s a bible verse that says “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

That could offer some insight into his state of mind. Those closest to him say he was actually upbeat just before his death. Just last week he was found not guilty in the murders of two people back in 2012, and they say he was optimistic about his appeal in the Odin Lloyd murder in 2013. That’s the conviction that got him sentenced to life without parole.

One cousin tells News 8, he spoke to Hernandez the night before he died.

“His conversation was nothing but joy, that he was thinking about his future and how he was going to appeal his Odin Lloyd case. And he was in really good spirits so for this to happen, we’re shocked and we still don’t believe that he took his life and we still believe there’s a lot of foul play going on,” said Randy Garcia, Aaron Hernandez’s cousin.

Hernandez grew up right here in Connecticut. He was a standout tight end for Bristol Central High School. He signed a 5 year, $40 million deal with the Patriots in 2010, but hung out with a dangerous crowd. He was cut by the team in 2013 after he was arrested in the Lloyd murder.

Related: Connecticut connections continued all through Aaron Hernandez case

Hernandez’s lawyers says he will investigate the apparent suicide, while pressing the courts to vacate the murder conviction. That’s possible under Massachusetts law because Hernandez died before his appeal.

Meanwhile, a lawyer for Odin Lloyd’s family says he will continue with the civil suit against Hernandez. He says a judge has already found Hernandez liable in Lloyd’s death, now it’s just a question of setting a dollar amount, and getting that money from the Hernandez estate.